Felicity had fallen asleep in the rocker in the nursery while Lucy was fast asleep in her crib. He'd expected to find Felicity in bed, but here she was. He'd also not expected to take so long. Things had taken longer than expected. It just couldn't be helped. He knew that Felicity would understand. Carefully, Oliver picked her up and cradled her in his arms as he made his way towards her bedroom. She stirred a bit in his arms and he'd look down to check to see if she was awake, but she had stayed asleep the whole short trip to her room.

Laying her down on the bed, he sighed and looked her over. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. He slipped off her flats and dropped them on the floor where he hoped that she wouldn't somehow fall over them. Oliver wasn't sure how she'd sleep in her clothes, but he also didn't want to cross any boundaries by undressing her, even if it was to her undergarments. Instead, he carefully rolled her so that he could pull the covers down and remove the cardigan she was wearing.

Once she was finally tucked into bed, he gently ran his hand along the side of her face and brushed the stray hair away from her face. Oliver removed her glasses and set them on the bedside table. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he whispered.

He sat in there just watching her sleep for a long while. He was worried about her and worried about what was going to come… He'd talked to Dinah Lance on the phone, she'd been away on work and had just gotten in. He'd had to break the news that her ex-husband had been the one who had taken not only Laurel, but also Felicity. He'd tried to explain the best he could that it really wasn't Quentin Lance's fault, but she'd been so upset he didn't know if she understood that or cared. When he'd finally gotten to the part that Felicity and the baby had been found, he'd thought that the call had been dropped. She was going to be in Starling City later that morning and she was going to want to see Lucy. Dinah Lance's visit could likely test them all…

Then there was the fact that he'd sent word to Sara that they'd found the baby. He'd not been able to take to her, but left her a message. He had no idea if she'd actually call ahead and say she was coming or if she'd just show up...if she did show up. Oliver really didn't know. Starling City might be too hard to face for her after Laurel's death. He would just have to wait and see what happened…

Lucy started to cry softly and Oliver immediately reached out to silence the baby monitor on her nightstand when she started to stir. She needed sleep. "I'll get her," he whispered. In all honesty, Oliver didn't have one on one time with Lucy under his belt. He knew he could do this though. He'd watched mainly Felicity do everything. He didn't think it could really be that hard. So, he left her bedroom and headed back to the nursery.

"Shh… Shh…" he tried to hush as he approached the crib. He checked on her before moving to mix a bottle of formula for her. He squinted at the directions just to make sure he was remembering how to mix it correctly before putting the bottle together. Setting it down, he scooped Lucy up out of the bed and rubbed her back. "It's okay, Sweetheart…" She was still upset and Oliver knew that there was something that Felicity did before feeding her when Lucy got up. He needed to change her diaper.

It seemed to take him so much longer to go through all the steps that seemed to take Felicity and even his mother no time at all. Maybe women had some kind of superpower when it came to babies… He didn't know. All he knew was that he'd thought that Lucy's cries were going to wake the whole house up before he could even get her changed.

Finally though, he settled into the rocker with her. He tried to position her the best he could and she eagerly took the bottle. Oliver had left the light off when he'd entered, so he could just see her by nightlight. He figured that it was more conducive to Lucy falling back to sleep if he left the harsh main light off anyways. "There you go… Life isn't so bad…" he told her as he stared at her.

He never wanted this… Not since he'd come back from the island. It wasn't that he didn't like kids or want them…or a family for that matter; he just didn't know how that would work. It was hard enough for him to come to terms with how dearly he loved Felicity. Caring for people made them targets and distracted you from what you should do in some situations. As much as those people made you weak, for caring for them, they made you strong.

Oliver Queen couldn't be an island.

As he rocked his daughter, he wondered if his mother or father had ever sang to him when he was Lucy's age. Oliver realized that he really never asked his dad about that when he was still alive. Now he felt robbed of that opportunity and of those memories his dad could have shared with him.

"I know we haven't had much time to get to know one another," Oliver told her. "We're going to make up for lost time, I promise… And let me tell you this, you are not allowed to grow up into a crazy teenager like Thea and I were… You might hate me for a few years, but you're going to be someone who changes the world… You'll do good and you'll do it the right way."

"You do good too, you know…it might not be the 'right' way, it's just different…"

Oliver looked up and was surprised to see her in the doorway. "I had wanted to let you sleep," he said quietly. He glanced down to look at Lucy, who seemed fairly content.

"You know you need to burp her at two ounces," Felicity said as she motioned to Lucy. She slowly walked towards him. "Otherwise, she'll explode… I'm kidding, well…not exactly… I mean, not literally exploding, but there will likely be throwing up…and it's not the best thing in the world…" She paused for a moment. "I'm sort of used to hearing her… The noise the monitor makes sort of helped me sleep…"

"You were asleep in here… I just didn't want you up all night with her if you could get some sleep in your bed," he told her.

"You were out late," Felicity told him.

"Bad guys didn't seem to want to go home tonight." He wondered if she'd been waiting up for him or if she'd just been in there to be close to Lucy. Either way, he felt a little bad. They really were going to have to figure out how all of this was going to work. He needed Felicity at the Foundry, but they couldn't exactly leave Lucy home with his mother or a nanny… He wanted to have time with his daughter. He wanted Felicity to have time with her. He knew that once they were both back in the swing of things that it would be Queen Consolidated, dinner, and then Team Arrow. It didn't leave a lot of time for 'family time'.

"Sometimes you just have to call it a night too."

"I'll remember that…"

"Do you want me to take her?"

Lucy was out like a light, but he needed to burp her still. He set the bottle to the side and tried position her like he'd seen Felicity do before. "I was going to try," he said as he gently patted her back. He was scared to hurt her. Lucy seemed so small and so fragile, he was afraid to hurt any of the little bones in her body.

"You can pat harder," she said as she sat on the ottoman and faced them both. She just smiled. "You won't break her." So, he tried it and hesitated in between at first until Felicity nodded. "You know, I don't mean to take over when it comes to her… I'm just used to doing it on my own for the most part…"

"I know," Oliver responded. And he did. Felicity had made it clear and he'd seen it, she was bonded to Lucy and she really was her mom. He could see it. He actually wondered if that was one of the reasons why his mother seemed to dislike Felicity so much, if she didn't like the fact that this woman that she didn't know was just stepping in and doing everything for her granddaughter. "I just… I never planned on having a child…"

"I knew you'd make a good dad," Felicity confided.

"You did?"

"I mean, not when you were all yelling and angry when we first started the Arrow business, but…yeah… You're so good with Thea… You care about people… You've been through a lot and learned a lot," Felicity told him. "You have so much love to give, Oliver…you just have to allow yourself to open up…"

"That's the hard part," he told her.

"I know."

Oliver paused and almost froze when he heard a sound from Lucy. He looked to Felicity in hopes that she would verify that she'd burped. "Was that it?" he finally asked.

She nodded, her smile a bit brighter in the dim light. "See, you're learning…"

"I have a good teacher."

"Don't you forget that."

"I feel like someone will remind me if I start to," he said with a grin. She was beautiful. Sometimes he wondered when he'd started to notice that. It hadn't been the first thing he'd noticed about her. When they first met, it had been her ability to see right through him…and his bad lies. Later it really was her intelligence that shone through. She was loyal and brilliant and so true. Felicity Smoak was many things and he had just never seen them all at once until now. He didn't know why.

"She'll be okay if you lay her back down now," Felicity told him. "Just always make sure she's on her back."

"A couple more minutes," he told her as he moved Lucy into a cradling position once again. Oliver stared down at Lucy as he spoke. "I keep having to remind myself that she's mine…that's she's ours…" He looked up and saw that she seemed like she was about to argue and then didn't. Oliver smiled at Felicity and then back down at the baby in his arms. She was perfect and content and such a little angel. "That night with Laurel had been a mistake…but I can't regret that Lucy came out of it… As horrible as it might sound, maybe I needed the push to know that I could have this…"

"You mean a life?" she teased.

"Sometime more than work…and work…"

"And arrow-ing?"

He grinned at Felicity. "And to know that I could let my walls down…to let some people in…"

"Only some of us?"

"A selected few," Oliver told her.

"I'm glad that you're letting people in," Felicity said with a warm smile.

Oliver knew that letting people in could leave him vulnerable, but he was sure it was worth it. He couldn't be an island. He had to let that love in. He had to be even better now. It wasn't just for himself or Felicity, but for Lucy. He was certain that every parent wanted to be better than their parents, but that was especially true for him. He'd always thought he had the best parents growing up, but now…after everything…he knew that there would have been things he would have changed if he'd been his father. Oliver really hadn't had to be serious about the world or really grow up, not until he was forced to. He didn't want Lucy to think that she could be silly and party and fail out of multiple schools. Oliver was pretty sure that Felicity wouldn't let that happen. On that, he was sure that they would definitely be on the same page.

"Did you ever think about this? Before?" he asked suddenly.

"About what?"

"Having a family? A baby?"

"No. I mean, at one time…but not recently," Felicity rambled. He loved it when she rambled. "It hasn't seemed right…and I hadn't met the right guy… Things just never fell in place where I felt that…"

"And now?"

She seemed to smile so brightly suddenly, like the sun. "It's not how I thought it would ever be," she told him truthfully. "But I love Lucy…and I love you. I know that there's a lot to still figure out… That there's a lot that needs to be worked out. But I wouldn't trade our family for anything."

Oliver got up carefully from the rocker and moved to put Lucy down. "You never talk about your family."

"That's because you're my family," Felicity told him. "You and Digg have been my family…"

"Diggle?"

Oliver turned around after making sure that Lucy was perfectly on her back. He hadn't expected Diggle to come up in their discussion, but it did make sense. The three of them were always together. How could they not consider each other their family?

"He's like your brother… The one that tells you when you screw up…and that doesn't let you get away with stuff," Felicity told him.

Oliver felt like he should be offended suddenly. He just stared at her. "I'm not sure how I feel about that description."

"You should just accept it."

He held out his hand to her. Lucy was in her crib asleep and the two of them needed some much needed sleep before the little one was up again. "Let me walk you to your door?"

"Such a kind offer," Felicity told him as she took his hand and got to her feet. They headed towards the door and suddenly Oliver's hand was on her back.

He guided her across the hall and really didn't want to leave her yet. If he hadn't been out so late he knew that he could have spent far more time with her. It wasn't even the talking…it was just being together. He missed her. Just her presence was enough for him. "I guess this is good night," he said sadly. Oliver didn't mask his feelings; he really didn't want to leave her. Not yet.

"Stay with me? Until I fall asleep?" she asked.

Oliver found himself nodding. He hadn't expected her to ask him in. Things were so different with Felicity. In the best kind of way. So, this was all new to him. Unexpected. Beautiful. Wonderful. He followed her into the room and realized that she was still in the skirt and blouse he'd put her to bed in. "I can go if you want to change…"

Felicity just smiled. "You could always just turn your back," she suggested.

So, Oliver turned and faced the door in order to give her some privacy. He had to admit though, he was curious to see her. He knew that she was beautiful, but he wanted to see all of her. He remained a gentleman though.

"Okay," she finally said.

He turned to find her in a t-shirt and shorts. He wondered if that was something she would normally wear or if it had been picked up for her. Her hair was down and he was always pleasantly surprised at how different little things could alter her appearance. She was beautiful though. Every time she was beautiful. He didn't care what she was wearing, how her hair was, whether she was wearing glasses, her make-up, or if she was sweating… Felicity Smoak was the most exquisite woman that he'd ever seen or met.

"You look comfortable," he commented as she got up onto the bed. He really did want her to be comfortable and to be able to sleep. He didn't know how long Lucy would sleep, but he knew that Felicity would want to get up with her when she did get back up.

She reached out and turned the baby monitor back on and then patted the space of quilt next to her. "I promise it's a lot more comfortable here than standing there staring at me."

"The view's pretty good from here," he said quietly. And it was true. He could stand there and stare at her all night, in the non-creepiest way possible. Oliver watched as she blushed and looked down for a moment. She was beautiful when she blushed. But he moved from where he'd been standing and made his way over to her. Oliver hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed and turned towards her. The beds in the Queen Mansion were all pretty much king size as a standard. He never remembered sleeping in anything smaller. So, when Felicity scooted over even farther so that there was a whole half of the bed in between them, he felt the need to comply with her silent request. Oliver moved over even more.

"You sure you don't mind?"

"There is no where else I would rather be right now," he told her honestly. She smiled and then leaned against him, one of her arms wrapping around him. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close. Oliver dropped a kiss on top of her golden hair.

"Thank you, for staying."

She yawned. "I'm just…I'm not used to sleeping alone… Unless you're an evil doctor at the hospital who drugs me, then I have no choice and really no recollection of it… But anyways, I got used to someone being in the room with me…and now Lucy is across the hall…"

"Which is why you didn't stay asleep when I turned off the monitor," Oliver surmised. He hadn't thought of that. All of that time, Laurel had been there and then Lucy… They'd all been crammed into that small room… Of course she would be accustom to the sounds of other people… And she'd be acutely aware of sounds from Lucy since she was so used to getting up with her and caring with her in general.

"Right," she said. "I'm used to hearing Lucy's breathing…and occasion snoring…and other sounds she makes…"

"You know, if you wanted…we could break down that one wall and make one of the rooms larger, so that you could have plenty of room and Lucy could share the room with you," he offered. He didn't know if that would help things at all or make any sense or difference to her.

"'I doubt that your mother would approve."

"She doesn't have to," Oliver said. "It's going to be our place… These are our lives… Our daughter… Of course, traditionally you and I would share a room and Lucy would have a separate one…" He paused for a moment as he suddenly started to process what he'd said. Felicity was suddenly just staring at him. He wondered if this was how Felicity felt when she seemed to blurt out things or say things that had other meanings or that were just not what she seemed to mean to say aloud. "I mean, I'm not trying to push you into sharing a room or even—"

"It's okay, Oliver," she said with a smile. "I get it…"

"Thank you," he replied a little relieved. She still smiled. "It's not that I wouldn't like it, it's just that…"

"We're not there yet."

"Right."

And it was good to feel like they were on the same page. He was normally the one who was rushing into things and trying to get to the point where he could have and do whatever he wanted up until the point where a commitment was required. Already, he was committing to her. He'd made a commitment for the three of them to be a family and they were going to move in together.

"I feel like I should be asking you questions," she said suddenly as he head rested on his shoulder again.

He put his arm around her. "What kinds of questions?"

"We're going to live together. I've never lived with you. I feel like I should know more about your habits. I mean, obviously I've spent oodles of time with you and Digg, but that doesn't tell a girl everything… I mean, do you leave globs of toothpaste in the sink? Do you flush? Do you put the seat down? Do you leave clothes everywhere? Are you going to expect me to clean this place? …and I'm going to stop now," she said after it had been pretty silent between them.

"I think it's probably going to be easiest just to jump into it and see what works and where we clash…"

"I really hate toothpaste in the bottom of the sink, FYI," Felicity told him.

Oliver smirked. "I never leave toothpaste in the bottom of the sink."

"Ten points to Gryffindor," she joked.

He shook his head slightly. "I do flush…and I do put the seat down… Sometimes I leave my clothes around on the floor in my room, but it's not like a whole week's worth… And I'm not going to expect you to clean the whole house or apartment or whatever we're calling it… I figured that we could do it together, even though I'm sure that my mom would offer for a maid to come in and clean."

"Maybe like once in a while… You know to do the deep cleaning," Felicity told him. "But I like the idea of sharing cleaning chores…"

"Good," he said with a smile. He had no idea what to use to clean what, but he was oddly excited to learn how it would all work. For the first time, he was excited about moving in with someone and having to do the daily domestic things. Oliver was sure that if it were with anyone else that he wouldn't be so excited. But it was Felicity, so he was looking forward to it and was in fact, ecstatic.

Oliver could feel her ease in his arm and hoped that she was relaxing enough to fall asleep. He'd stay as long as he needed to ensure that she fell asleep and stayed asleep. A hand started to run through her hair and he turned to kiss her temple.

"I'm still awake," she whispered.

"I know, but you should sleep."

"How did you know? Besides the fact that I said I was awake?"

"Your breathing…"

"That's creepy."

Oliver smirked. "Observant could be another term."

"I think creepy still works a little better in this situation," Felicity teased.

He continued to smile and then shook his head a little. He really had missed her. Felicity really was good at telling him exactly what she was thinking no matter how it could affect their relationship. He was still so happy that he'd not lost her back when she was just working with them for Walter's sake. He remembered when he and Diggle had to check on her at QC when she was still in IT and he had to ask her back. Thank God she'd agreed to come back.

Oliver had learned a lot on the island, but he'd learned since coming back that there were some social graces and dating etiquette that he'd lost out on. None of that had mattered on the island and none of it really had much to do with Arrow business. He loved Felicity. So, he knew he'd have to figure things out again. Slowly, he shifted her until they were both lying under the covers, Felicity in his arms.

"Oliver?"

"Close your eyes," he whispered.

She didn't argue, but he could hear her breath hitch.

Oliver pulled her right up against his body and wrapped both arms around her. One of his hands was in her hair while the other moved up the back of her shirt only to rub circles against her spine.

"You're going to make it harder to sleep…"

"Close your eyes," he instructed again. "Breathe in and breathe out... Just relax… Don't worry about anything… You're safe… Lucy's sleeping…"

"Oliver Queen is in bed with me," she mumbled.

He smiled. He was in bed with her, but he was fully clothed. He'd kicked off his shoes after she'd asked him to stay a while, but other than that…layers of clothes. He smiled against her forehead before he kissed it. "Maybe you should get used to it…"

"I could probably learn to get used to that," she mumbled.

He could tell from her speech pattern that she was getting tired. Oliver was just trying to relax her. If he'd wanted more, he could have approached the situation in bed differently and he'd be far less clothed…as would Felicity.

Soon enough, she was fast asleep. He listened to her breathing and could feel her heart rate slow. Oliver kept rubbing her back and just waited to move until he felt like she was completely asleep. He didn't want to startle her. He wanted her to sleep and know that she was safe…for as long as possible. So, Oliver stayed there with Felicity in his arms…all night long.

. . .

TBC…